In a move that is surprising even to someone like myself who has seen and heard things which most people would call unthinkable while involved in the Caledonia crisis these last years, the McGuinty government has now officially endorsed the sale of cigarettes to children in Haldimand County.

To quote a Feb 5 story from the Simcoe Reformerwhich uncovered this despicable, duplicitous act by the same government who has endorsed the lawlessness by Native extremists since 2006 many times in many ways:

“The Ministry of Health pays the province’s 36 health units $50 million a year for youth smoking programs. Most of that is spent monitoring convenience stores to ensure they are not selling to minors.

Enforcement officers, however, are not allowed to go near the biggest source of contraband tobacco in the province — native smoke shops. Thousands of smoke shops have popped up in recent years on the province’s 163 reserves. Locally, a handful have set up illegally in Haldimand County along Highway 6.

A carton of cigarettes at a convenience store costs about $80. However, a baggie of 100 cigarettes typically sells at a native smoke shop for as little as $7. Yet the McGuinty government has told the Haldimand-Norfolk Health Unit that the smoke shops of Haldimand County are off-limits to enforcement staff.”